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Volunteering |
HEADWAY Surrey's Volunteers do....
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Vital
work. They take the |
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New Befriending Service currently recruiting Volunteers: Scroll down for info:
What can I do?
Volunteering for Headway Surrey can involve anything from playing scrabble to abseiling - from making a pot of tea to organising a barn dance! Whatever your skills and experience - we can find you a role.
How much time do I need?
Some of our volunteers come in regularly for one or two days a week and some may volunteer for just one day a year - you can spend as much or as little time as you like. All our volunteers are greatly valued and being a small, local organisation you can see the immediate results and benefits of your work.
Do I get any training?
Guidelines, information and support will be given to all volunteers - along with training where appropriate. Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience, giving you the opportunity to make new friends and gain new skills.
We Need your Help
In the day facility working with members - doing computer work, playing games and making conversation.
At home organising your own fundraising event - a coffee morning, sponsored walk, garage or jumble sale, raffle, tombola, quiz night - the list goes on and on....!
Out and about spreading information about Headway Surrey, telling friends and family, making sure there are leaflets in libraries, clinics and health centres.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact our Services Manager for an informal chat.
Sarah and Kieran volunteer in the resource centre. Read their experience:
| "My time as a volunteer at Headway Surrey has been fabulous. I have met so many inspiring and interesting people, clients and staff. My understanding of how a brain injury can affect someone's life has much improved. Working as a volunteer brings you into direct contact with those affected with brain injury, you develop skills in supporting people with tasks that require patience and rapport. The members are very open and you never know what they will say next. A member tried to guess my age and he thought I was twelve!! It is a fun and rewarding experience, one that I would recommend to anyone". |
Tea Break |
Kieran centre volunteer
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I have been working as a volunteer with Headway Surrey since I graduated from University with a Business degree. I spend an afternoon each week with small groups of members. Sometimes we play board games, other days we engage in heated but amusing debates. Often I have met my match at the pool table or at scrabble! Each week I look forward to meeting and working a step further with the many members whom I have now befriended. During each step of my learning curve the staff have been absolutely marvellous. I have received excellent training & literature which has enabled me to quickly adapt into the role of a volunteer. Despite the seriousness of the brain injuries, I have been amazed at how a small group of dedicated staff can encourage individuals to progress slowly but surely. Furthermore, my job as a volunteer has taught me to be patient & to respect the needs of others. I am sure that I will be actively involved with Headway wherever my future takes me, because it is a terrific cause dedicated to individuals who strive to overcome a multitude of difficulties. My experience at Headway Surrey has been so rewarding that I have decided to redirect my career onto patient healthcare. |
New Befriending Service:
Following a brain injury many people experience the loss of good relationships with friends, family members and co-workers. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The Befriending Service needs both male and female volunteers. As a volunteer Befriender you would spend time talking to someone who has had a brain injury and encouraging them to get out and about by taking part in leisure activities. This could be going for a coffee, to the cinema, to a football match or playing squash. Volunteers are asked to commit around two to four hours per meeting, this may be once a week, once a fortnight or once a month. Volunteers are asked to commit a minimum of six months to the Befriending Service.
Anyone over the age of 18 can become a volunteer Befriender. Volunteers should be friendly, reliable, honest, non-judgemental and willing to learn. All volunteers will be required to complete a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, supply two references, attend an informal interview and training. Volunteer Befrienders reasonable expenses are reimbursed.
The benefits of becoming a volunteer on the Befriending Service include: -
· Improved understanding of brain injury.
· Time out from your normal routine.
· The opportunity to meet new people.
· The chance to develop good interpersonal skills.
· The opportunity to gain experience in the voluntary and charity sector.
· The chance to make a positive difference to someone's life.
If you or anyone you know would like to become a Befriender please contact Hayley Cook Befriending Co-ordinator for further information or to request a Volunteer Befriender Application Form.